the wind in my sails | aang x oc

twenty seven

"no, liara. you can't resolve everything by asking the spirits." yao told her.

Liara had meditated with aang, but they crossed over in different locations. liara was with yao and aang was somewhere else only raava knows.

"but yao," liara tried to reason, but the spirit shook his head, "no. you have to figure this one out on you own. I'll interject when you really need it. until then, use your brain."

he touched her forehead and she was pushed out.

Liara sighed, glancing at aang next to her. he was still in a meditative state, with his tattoos glowing and his eyes closed.

"what happened? did you get anything?" zuko asked and the girl shook her head. "no. yao hates me."

"no I don't! I'm teaching you something."

"go away, I'm mad at you."

"anyway..." sokka said as the girl stood up, "what do you think aang is getting?" he asked.

"i have no idea, he wasn't in the same place I was when I got to the spirit world." liara paused, "I don't even know if he's in the spirit world."

"can't you just ask yao?" zuko questioned and she shook her head, "no. the monkey man said I can't ask for his help all the time. for now, let's just trust aang."

"good idea." liara jumped at the sound of aang's voice. "jeez! you scared the crap out of me!" the girl hissed at her boyfriend who laughed lightly at her.

she noticed masks popping up out of the water in the pond. "so I guess you found her? ying lian?" she asked him, pointing at the water.

"you mean the mother of faces?"

Liara nodded and aang smiled. she knew that was a 'yes.'

a large figure emerged from the water. she was large and looked almost like a willow tree. the masks in the water danced around her as she stared at the group of people.

"i am the mother of faces," she announced her voice booming through the clearing. "I cross through this forest each season, but never to I stray from the path that my wolf has chosen for me. however, I do so now, thanks to the avatar"

well done, aang.

"each season, I grant one favour to one human, so you may ask what ever your heart desires."

Liara paused, glancing at misu and rafa before turning back to the spirit, "just one?" she asked frowning.

"yes." ying lian confirmed. "humans like you always come chasing after me, begging for new identities. do you want to do the same.?"

liara shook her head as aang began speaking. "you see, we actually need two favours, your... faceyness. can you and your gracefulness handle two?" liara elbowed him softly in the ribs. he shouldn't be trying to manipulate a spirit with complements.

"do not test my generosity, young avatar. you will get one."

zuko's shoulders dropped as he hung his head. "misu, why don't you and rafa go ahead?" he told them and they gracefully accepted.

"it's okay, zuko. well search for her on our own." katara said, rubbing the firelord's back.

"ridiculous!" azula exploded, marching forward and standing I. front of misu.

"azula! no!" liara yelled, but before she could grab the girl, azula spoke, "we seek a woman of the fire nation named ursa! tell me where to find her."

spirits.

misu's eyes shot full of tears, worrying for her brother's face. liara noticed this and went to scold azula, but she was held back by katara.

"ursa," the spirit said, a projection of zuko's mother appearing in her palm. "I did not understand why a human of such beauty would want a new face, as a test, I secretly offered her one as plain as can be, she accepted."

the projection changed to noriko, the woman from hira'a.

liara gasped.

just as zuko went to tell his sister, she was already gone. and he began running after her.

misu offered a shortcut.

"thank you," zuko said bowing to the woman. "I'm sorry about my sister."

misu smiled, "all is forgiven. now go. find your mother."

Liara bowed to the spirit before running, "thank you, ying lian." she said, and the mother of faces was taken aback. no one had called her by her name in eons.

she watched the airbender run into the forest, after her friends.

~

when she, aang and katara finally got out of the forest, it was nighttime.

the town was quiet, but you could hear soft music and chatter from one of the nearby restaurants. liara, aang and katara proceeded to run up to ursa and noren's house, as they had heard a sudden commotion from that direction.

Liara airbeded the door open to find azula trying to attack her mother, "tell me, mommy! did you have another daughter because yours turned out to be a monster?!" she yelled crazily.

lightning crackled through the room, and Liara heard yao in her ear for the first time in a few hours.

"beat her ass, liara." he said, a matter of faculty, and Liara surprised by his choice of language.

"you got it!" she yelped and took her staff, powerfully swinging it at the fire princess, calculatedly hitting her vagus nerve.

azula then hit the wooden floor with a dull thud.

Liara smirked, poking the unconscious princess' cheek with her staff, "who's your mommy now?"

sokka fist-bumped the airbender. however, just as everyone let their guard down, Azula came to and ran off.

spirits.

zuko and noriko-.. ursa as well as liara and sokka all sprinted after her as she headed for the forest. she saw ying lian emerge before zuko and ursa and aang landed beside her with his glider, pulling her into his side with one arm.

she stayed put next to him, enjoying his warmth even if she wasn't cold.

she watched how the mother of faces returned ursa's original face to her, but she then looked up at aang, her breath tickling his neck.

she hadn't noticed how much taller he had gotten over the past months that she hadn't seen him, let alone the past two years.

they had been apart a lot, liara knew that. and she hated it. she just wanted to settle down in one place, leading a life in one area.

but she couldn't. she was the guide of the air acolytes. she was the avatar's girlfriend, and she was an air nomad. settling down was out of the question almost entirely.

for now.

disregarding the thoughts she had, she spoke, "what are we going to do about Azula? she has to come back sooner or later."

aang looked down at her, beginning to rub the tensed muscles on her back. "we'll just have to wait and listen." he kissed her forehead, "come. let's go to zuko and ursa. I have so many questions."